The 30 greatest NBA team rivalries in league history

7. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs

When two powerhouse trains find themselves on a collision course, it’s bound to make for must-see TV. That was the case between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers, two juggernaut franchises that dominated the 2000s — and the 1998-99 NBA season — most of the time at the other’s expense.

From 1999 to 2014, they would win 10 out of a possible 15 NBA championships. Of those 10 — split down the middle at five titles apiece — four required an all-ought battle with the other to advance, including five out of six playoff matchups from 1999 to 2004.

The NBA is a game of narratives, and this rivalry certainly wasn’t lacking in storylines. In Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson, you had arguably the two greatest coaches to ever roam the sidelines. Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan are two of the greatest big men ever, while the latter and Kobe Bryant are widely regarded as two of this century’s best players regardless of position.

The rivalry was not short on exciting moments, ones that stick out in NBA history. With the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals tied at two games apiece entering Game 5, Duncan knocked down a tough fall away from the top of the key with O’Neal draped all over him. With just 0.4 seconds remaining, victory looked all but certain for San Antonio.

You probably know the rest by now. Derek Fisher, of all of Los Angeles’ players, catches and flings towards the bucket a wild prayer that was answered to give the Lakers a W. They would then go on to win the series in the following game.

Two of the greatest NBA franchises came across some of their most prosperous seasons at the same time. It was the perfect set of circumstances that all came together at the perfect moment to pit two basketball titans against each other at a level only a few could reach.